Homeschoolers are Resilient
Homeschoolers are resilient – even in the midst of extreme difficulty. Everything is not always peaches and cream, and sometimes trauma happens … sometimes LOTS of trauma. If you are having an extremely difficult time, with situations far beyond your control, please read this mother’s story and be encouraged. She has wonderful 20/20 hindsight about what works when dealing with family trauma.
Hi Lee,
You helped me out a couple of years ago, and assisted me with a high school transcript for my son Landon. I was just beginning to deal with some brain tumors and several surgeries and so appreciated your help. Things are still not as easy for me as they used to be and I did very little homeschooling with my then 13 year old Austyn that 2008-2009 school year.
We really have had our share of trauma these past almost 6 years. In October 2004 our 19 year old son Brad died in a tragic accident. The grief made it nearly impossible for me to concentrate on teaching Landon and Austyn or for them to concentrate on learning. It was nearly a year of just spending time together and not putting any pressure on them to accomplish much in the way of school work.
I really do not see that this set them back in any way.
I cannot imagine them having to have been in a public school setting during such a traumatic time in their/our lives.
Homeschooling gives us the flexibility to just stop and take a break and resume when the time is right.
I thought I would give you an update on Landon. In June he graduated with honors from Eastern with a degree in business administration and economics. He did get two scholarships of $2000. We didn’t really have the time and energy to pursue more, these past 2 1/2 years have been filled with doctors, hospitals, surgeries etc. Landon, now 21, lives in Spokane and in January of this year started a business called Community Restorations, he buys and restores foreclosed homes. He bought a home for himself too, remodeled it and moved in the month of December. Landon is our 5th child homeschooled and another success story. One to go! Actually our final child, Austyn, now 15 took the compass test and passed. In a year he will begin dual enrollment. He is interested in taking a computer class there so he will probably do that this September.
I enjoy getting your email newsletters, thank you and thanks for your help back in 2008 when I really needed it.
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Thanks again,
Linda in Washington
Wow, I love receiving emails like this; they are so encouraging! For more encouragement, you may also enjoy my article, What If? Homeschool High School Without Fear.
Are you homeschooling through tough times? Please share!
Please note: This post was originally published in September 2010 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
A very encouraging and timely post, thank you! I am in the midst of a difficult time of helping to care for my sick father, who is not expected to live much longer. I have spent a lot of time away from home and my kids have been doing some school on their own. Life has been chaotic and disjointed, but we are plugging along as best we can with no great expectations for school for the time being. We get done what we can.We know that sometimes school just has to be set aside for a time. Thanks again for the post! Very much appreciated
This is so encouraging. I think it is good to point out that really positive changes can be chaotic as well, and to not let the turmoil, whether joyful or sorrowful, derail our hope that it is possible to raise these young people to be wonderful contributors to society, that no cirucmstance is ideal, and that somehow with our love and God’s grace it does work out in the end. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your story!
This is what I love most about homeschooling. Three years ago we lost two boys in an accident. We didn’t do any schoolwork for a month and then were on “half rations” for the rest of the year. Homeschooling provided what we needed. Time to be together and to grieve. A friend of ours lost his wife this past year. His poor daughter had only a couple of days off to grieve over her mother, then it was back to school! It just broke my heart.